Waters Below Alternate Ending
by midnightlily453
Summary: Summary: Romano is sick of it all, sick of pretending. Feliciano can no longer  help him, so he decides to take matters into his own hands. T for language and  possible character death. Alternate ending. Inspired by the song Iridescent by Linkin Park.


Alternate ending to the previous Waters Below, as promised. I still do not own Hetalia or the song I highly reccomended you listen to while reading this, which remains Iridescent, by Linkin Park(for those who didn't read the other version.)

Reviews are greatly appreciated, no matter who or where they're from!

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><p>Romano sat on the cliff by his seaside home, knees curled to his chest. Tears streamed down his face as choked sobs escaped his mouth. The breeze whipped his face like a million tiny bee stings, but he didn't care. After all, what did anything matter without his brother? He was only half a country, and a weak one at that. His brother always had all the talents, all the love…he could paint, cook, and was more likeable than Romano could ever be. And now, he was gone- taken by war when a white flag was not enough to hold back the enemy's hand. Romano was left as the sole representative of the country of Italy, Grandpa Rome's only grandson. He was afraid of his own shadow, a completely unfit country. How could he protect his people when he couldn't even protect his own damn brother? What had he to look forward to? Did he even have a future?<p>

He stood up on wobbly legs and looked over the edge of the cliff. Foamy blue waters crashed beneath, beckoning to him. He took a step closer, almost letting the wind carry him away. He could escape his troubles. Escape the unbearable sorrow that plagued him and tore his mind to pieces with its cruel whispers in the night. End it.

He took yet another step. He couldn't handle a country on his own, he was far too stupid. He had no culture, no military to speak of, and no potato bastard to make up for his weakness. No one to chase his demons away, no one to comfort him when it was all too much. He could no longer dial his brother simply to hear his annoying but comforting voice as he talked about mindless things. He wished for release.

He was standing at the edge now, a mere few centimeters between him and the open air and sea. Was this all over his brother? No, not quite. He had felt this way for quite some time now, but had masked it with anger and moodiness. No one else knew that he awoke in the middle of the night sweating and screaming from endless nightmares. No one saw his depression, only the oh-so-convincing mask. Not even his brother. He almost hoped someone would see through it and come kick down the walls he had built around himself. See the scars on his palms from where his nails cut in from constant fist clenching, smell the blood in his mouth from the times he had bitten his tongue to keep from showing these emotions in public. But his brother…his brother was his life support. He could always count on Feliciano's stupid, clueless smile to cheer him up, or give him someone to care for and receive care from. But that was no longer possible. Feliciano was gone forever. There was nothing left for him here. Would he have the strength to jump, or would he fail at that too?

Salty tears stung Romano's eyes as he began to take that final step.

"No! Lovi!"

Two strong, tanned arms wrapped around him and pulled him back from the edge. Romano fell back like dead weight, looking up emotionlessly to see who had stopped him. His eyes were met by two concerned green ones, eyes on the verge of tears. He should have known.

"Why, Lovi? Why?"

The Spaniard before him turned around and pulled him into a suffocating hug. His tears were free falling at this point.

"You're worth so much, why would you want to throw away your life like that? Don't scare me like that ever again!" he shouted.

Romano did not respond. He simply allowed his face to fall to the man's shoulder, tears soaking the fabric of his shirt. His arms hung limply over Spain's back as he wordlessly cried.

"Please Lovi, don't do this to me. I couldn't live without you, you know that. If you went over that cliff, I'd have no choice but to follow." Spain pleaded.

Romano's golden eyes flew open.

"Why would you do that, you damn moron?"

Had he been wrong?

"Because," Spain huffed. "I love you more than life itself. If you were gone, I'd have nothing left."

This statement struck Romano like a whip, as it was so much like his thoughts moments before. Never in his wildest dreams (for he had many) did he think that there was someone out there that cared about him, much less loved him. He was so hollow inside, what was there to love about that?

Romano's grip tightened, nails digging into Spain's back. The Spaniard made no move to stop him, not particularly caring about himself at the moment.

"Why?" Romano choked out. "I'm useless, weak, and I've been nothing but mean to you. How could you love me after all you've seen me fail at?"

Spain closed his eyes, gentle smile coming to his face.

"Lovi, your failures mean nothing to me. I know you're a wonderful person, I can see through that angry front you put up. You care a lot for your nation and your family, and you're very spirited. You're sweet in your own little ways, and the way you try to cover up your embarrassment by getting angry is adorable. And don't think for a second that you're useless. You may hate yourself, but I love you Lovi."

Romano pulled back a little and looked up at Spain, eyes still glistening from moisture.

"I-I…I'm s-sorry, Antonio, I-"

Spain put a finger to Romano's lips.

"Sshh, it's okay. You don't need to say anything." He coaxed. "I think that's the first time I've ever heard you call me by name!"

He smiled brilliantly.

Romano opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. His mind seemed unable to form words for the tide of emotions swirling around that threatened to swallow him. He fell to his knees, unable to support himself. Spain knelt down, putting an arm around Romano and picking him up, carrying him from the ledge to the shade of a nearby tree.

He set the emotional man down, sitting down with him putting his arm around him. After several moments of drawn out silence, Romano finally spoke.

"I-I guess I… love you too, dammit." He managed.

He never thought those words would come out of his mouth.

Spain smiled and stroked Romano's hair gently, looking down at him affectionately. Romano returned his gaze, tear stained cheeks tinting a pale pink. Spain slowly bent down, giving him time to object as he softly connected their lips. Romano's eyes closed as he took in the warmth of Spain's touch, finally finding an outlet for his long-hidden emotions. He gladly returned the gesture, hand coming to rest on the back of Spain's neck.

When they pulled apart, Romano smiled for the first time in what seemed to Spain to be years. He had forgotten how beautiful it was, like a ray of pure sunshine on a cloudy day. He couldn't help but break into a goofy grin as well.

"Aww, Lovi, you're so cute!" he exclaimed, unleashing the fury of another giant hug.

And for once, Romano didn't mind.


End file.
